Islamic Jihad refuses to halt Kassam attacks

Amidst ‘Road Map’ requirements and the Saudi Peace Plan to cease terrorist activity, Palestinian factions such as Islamic Jihad have said they would not halt Kassam attacks against Israel.

Reports in some Arab publications have claimed that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Islamist groups came to an agreement to stop the rocket attacks.

Nafez Azzam, a top Islamic Jihad official in the Gaza Strip, said he was unaware of such an agreement.

“Islamic Jihad did not convey any message to this effect to Abbas,” he said. “We will not agree to any truce without getting something in return.”

Mohammad al-Harazeen, another Islamic Jihad official, said the only meeting that took place was with Ahmed Qurei, former Palestinian Authority prime minister, who discussed Islamic Jihad’s role in the PLO and not its stance on rocket launching.

Hamas leaders also issued threats against Israel on Wednesday. Khalil Hayeh, a senior Hamas political official in the Gaza Strip, reaffirmed his organization’s position as it would never “abandon the path of resistance and jihad.”

Hayeh condemned security meetings between Palestinian and Israeli officials, saying they were designed to “contain the resistance and drive the Palestinians toward despair.”

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